


A Break In The Cycle

by MaevynRaven



Series: Hearts Left Untouched [2]
Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Blind Character, Disaster Lesbian Medusa, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Romantic Fluff, Starting Over, bc they are in the myth theyre just portrayed by shitty men who glorify them, perseus and poseidon are the bad guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:41:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28377873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaevynRaven/pseuds/MaevynRaven
Summary: Medusa thinks she is cursed to be alone forever. Banished to the isle of Sarpedon, she has grown accustomed to "heroes" coming to try and slay her to prove their worth. What she does not expect is to start falling for a girl who shows up one day on her doorstep.
Relationships: Medusa/Metope
Series: Hearts Left Untouched [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078367
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. The First Step

**Author's Note:**

> You don't really need to read the prologue first if you don't want but it's pretty short and explains where Metope comes from. I changed a few things about the Medusa myth: One, she's on the island alone (sorry Stheno and Euryale). Two, Medusa was not knocked up by Poseidon because that topic makes me uncomfortable and she does not deserve to have to bear children to someone she did not even agree to sleep with in the first place. Speaking of that, the whole non-con thing with Poseidon may be briefly brought up, but it will not be mentioned in detail, because even thinking about it makes me nauseous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for very briefly mentioned s*xu*l ass**lt, starting and ending where I placed the *. It's a small paragraph, you do not need to read it to understand anything, it really just says that she was turned into a gorgon. Please take care of yourselves <3

Medusa had grown accustomed to people stumbling onto her island. Often, it meant a brief scuffle; some noisy man with a sword would come yelling and stomping towards her cave, proclaiming that he would be the one to destroy her once and for all. It never ended well for them, that was attested to by her ever-growing garden of stone statues. It wasn't like she _asked_ them to come here. Quite the opposite actually. She had been banished from her temple for something that was forced upon her, and picked the most secluded spot she could find to keep people away. Unfortunately, the gift that would allow her to end any who sought to bring harm to her became misconstrued as monstrous and violent. The more idiots that came to try and lop her head off, the more her infamous reputation grew. It was a vicious cycle that Medusa could not see any end of. 

When she heard the clattering of footsteps against the pebbles of her island, she groaned and hoisted herself to her feet. She stepped out, squinting slightly against the sun, but paused to doubletake. Where she expected to see just another warrior, she instead found a slightly confused looking young woman. Her feet were bare and she was wearing a simple but loose dress that was tied in a way that would stop it from hindering her movement. She had curly black hair that framed her face, where a sea of dark freckles were visible. Medusa immediately closed her eyes to avoid accidentally petrifying someone who was just lost and not looking to harm her. Tentatively, she called out. She didn't have need to speak very often, so her voice was slightly hoarse.

"Hey! What are you doing out here? It's dangerous."

She heard the shuffling stop and someone respond. Medusa had to suppress a shudder at how smooth the voice was.

"I'm looking for a place to stay the night, if that's okay? I don't really have anywhere else to go."

This was seriously confusing. _How had she not heard the stories? Was she not from around here?_ Medusa was pretty sure tales about her had been carried around the entire eastern side of the bay by now. She shuffled her wings uncomfortably against her back. 

"You can't stay here. I already told you, it isn't safe."

"Why? It really just seems like an island to me?"

It really j- what? What is she on about? Can she not see the gorgon standing not twenty feet away from her? Or the multitude of frozen men, assorted in various poses of rage and fear?

"It isn't safe because of me. I don't know how you can live around here and not know about me. Just, trust me. You don't want to be here."

"Actually, I'm from pretty far away. I used to live in Greece until a few weeks ago."

_Well, I guess that explains why she didn't know about me._

"Really though, you don't seem dangerous to me. I mean, you haven't attacked me yet?"

Medusa was starting to lose her patience. 

"I haven't attacked you because my eyes are closed. I'm a gorgon. You know, snakes for hair, big wings, scary pointy teeth? Turns people to stone with eye contact?"

The girl made a noise of genuine surprise. 

"Oh! I mean, I guess that's not really a problem. I'm blind! And, like I said, if you really wanted to hurt me, wouldn't you have already done it?"

Medusa was taken aback. Tentatively, she cracked her eyes open. Glancing at the girl's face, she could indeed see something wrong with her eyes. She let out a sigh and took on a more relaxed pose.

"Oh. I'm just, uh, not used to people who I can talk to without having to be worried they'll die if they look at me. I guess you can stay, if you don't have anywhere else to go. C'mon. I'll help you into my cave and you can tell me a bit about yourself. But I should warn you, I kind of get attacked a lot? So don't be surprised if some douche with a sword comes to try and cut my head off."

The woman made a pleased noise and moved to meet her. She was shorter than Medusa by several inches, and the gorgon found herself trying to repress embarrassment as she realized that this girl was _stunning_. She ran a hand through her snakes as she led her by the wrist towards her cave. As they walked, the woman suddenly brightened and moved her face towards Medusa's, who flinched on instinct at the potential eye contact. When she looked back though, she didn't see flesh turning grey as stone began to cover her, just a soft smile and eyes with what looked like red scars where her pupils should be.

"I totally forgot to ask! What's your name?"

Medusa stuttered for a moment, mind blanking as she tried to process both the fact that someone was showing her genuine kindness for the first time in years and _fuck was it hot out today or was it just her?_ Eventually, she managed to speak, though it actually ended up being closer to a squeak.

"Oh, I uh, it.. my name's Medusa!"

She looked away, embarrassed at how she had spluttered trying to even say her own name. The woman muttered to herself for a moment, and she could faintly hear her turning the name over in her mouth a few times.

"Medusa. That's really pretty. My name's Metope."

Medusa managed a shy smile before she remembered that Metope couldn't actually see it.

"I like your name too! It sounds kinda familiar. Like I've heard it before? I don't know. But it's beautiful."

She froze for an instant as she remembered that there had been a Muse named Metope. Wait, fuck. Was this a Muse? That would explain why her voice had been enough to make Medusa shiver with how beautiful it was. Wait- nevermind, the Muse was _Caliope. Fuck, Medusa, get a grip! What has gotten into you?_

The pair made it to the opening of the her rocky home, and Medusa led Metope over to a mostly flat stone she used as a bench.

"So..." Medusa twiddled her thumbs, not used to having company. "Where are you from? Why are you out here?"

A look passed across Metope's face and Medusa instantly panicked, worried she said something wrong. When the girl spoke, her voice had lost some of it's cheerfulness.

"It's not really a happy story. I'm here because of my dad. Specifically running from my dad. He-"

Metope choked up, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. Medusa, fearing she had pushed too far, put a hand on Metope's knee.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. It's ok. You don't have to say. We can move past it."

Metope shook her head, but took a moment before continuing.

"No, it's ok. It's been a few weeks, I need to learn how to talk about it. I was actually a princess before, if you can believe it. Anyway, that came with a whole arranged marriage to some diplomat that I barely even knew. He kind of creeped me out to be honest. I didn't want that, didn't want _him_. But there was this girl..."

Medusa felt a lump forming in her throat, as if she already knew where this was going.

"Aechmodicē. She was a blacksmith. Dad would never approve of me being with her, so we kept it secret. I don't know how, but he found out. To punish me, he... he blinded me. With needles."

Medusa couldn't help but gape.

"He what? But... you're his daughter! What the fuck?"

Metope let out a small, humorless laugh.

"I know. He locked me in this tower, asked me to like, grind up bronze into flour? I don't know why. But someone eventually broke me out. I didn't really know her, but she helped me escape, and we travelled until I could take a ferry away from Greece. And now I'm here."

Medusa's heart sank.

"...and Aechmodicē?"

Metope took a deep breath, clasping a hand around a necklace that she had not previously noticed.

"She's gone. Dad didn't want me having another 'distraction'."

Tears began to fall from her eyes, but she did not make any audible sounds. Medusa did her best to comfort her, as she felt her own eyes stinging and becoming blurry.

"Gods, that's... I can't even imagine. Would you mind if I went to your home and turned your dad into stone?"

The giggle Metope gave seemed to actually have some genuine mirth behind it, at which Medusa beamed.

"Honestly, I wouldn't hate you for it."

"Oh good, cus I will. Don't even try me. I'm a fierce fucking bitch."

"I believe you! Ok. Your turn. What's got you living out here alone, with sword-wielding maniacs trying to kill you?"

Unsure if her contact was still welcome, Medusa removed her hand from Metope's knee.

* "My story isn't as difficult as yours, but it wasn't really all smiles and rainbows for me either. I used to be a priestess, in a temple of Athena. I actually met a god, if you can believe it."

Metope perked up.

"Really?"

Medusa fought off a rising bitter taste in her mouth.

"Yeah. It wasn't good. Some... stuff happened. Stuff I didn't get a say in. I guess I was pretty enough that he decided he didn't need to ask my permission for anything."

She focused on the ground, trying to recount the story while staving off the memory. Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"Anyway. After that, I was accused of 'defiling' the temple, even though I was the victim. They didn't care. I was actually set to be put to death. But Athena saved me by turning me into a gorgon."

* She had begun to kick her feet as she talked, idly glancing around the cave.

"People saw it as a curse, but I know it was a blessing in disguise. She gave me this gift so that any other man who looked at me and saw an object that was his to take, I would have a weapon against. They banished me, assuming that I had become a bloodthirsty monster, even though I'm still _me._ After that, some misled adventurer came here with a buddy to try and finish me off. When I turned him to stone, his friend ran off and escaped. Next thing I know, it's happening monthly. The more it happens, the worse my reputation gets. But can you blame me? I came here to be away from people, and they still come here on purpose trying to kill me and then get mad when I protect myself and my home!"

She huffed at the anger building up in her chest, and took a breath to calm herself.

"Sorry, I got off on a rant there. I don't think anyone has actually tried talking to me in... I can't even count the years at this point. I guess it's about time I got that story out to someone."

Metope had shifted slightly towards her, brows creased.

"That's... fuck that. You don't deserve that. Neither of us deserve the cards we've been dealt. I'm sorry. About all of it. But hey, I'm here now, right? I can keep you company. I mean, if you want. I understand if you want to be alone."

Medusa had to stop herself from speaking over her in her attempt to put down the idea.

"No! Gods, do you know how long it's been since I've seen someone smile at me? If you want to stay, you are welcome to. For however long you like. It's... it's been so nice to have someone listen to me. I think you're the first person in years to see me as a person and not a monster."

Metope made a motion to offer a hug to Medusa, who hesitated, blush rising to her cheeks, before accepting. Her nerves were alight at all the points of contact as she realized she hadn't touched another human in years. She was almost overwhelmed by the intensity, but that thought faded as she moved deeper into the hug, pushing her face into Metope's shoulder. Gentle hands brushed against her back.

"You have wings! Wait, I think you said that. I forgot because I can't see them. Is it ok if I pet the feathers?"

She was too busy focusing on the way her words felt like a rumble against her shoulder, and almost missed what she was actually asking.

"Hmm? Oh, sure."

She opened one of her wings so as to provide easier access to the surface. Metope began running a hand up and down it, being careful to not ruffle any of the white feathers out of place. Medusa felt like she was melting into the embrace. She couldn't really feel Metope's hand on her wing through the thick bristles, so she moved her attention to just relishing the warmth of physical tenderness.

At some point, Medusa heard an almost inaudible whisper of "your feathers are so soft...," to which she became suddenly glad her companion could not see just how flushed her face was. They stayed there contentedly for long enough that Medusa felt like she was about to fall asleep. Metope had moved from small pats to long strokes, bringing her hand from the base of her shoulder to as far as she could reach (which was only about halfway, Medusa's wings had to be large to be able to lift her into the air). 

The pair were startled from their almost dreamlike state by a familiar but extremely unwelcome sound: clashing metal in the distance. Medusa sighed deeply before pulling back from Metope's embrace. Her skin felt like it was crying out at the sudden loss of the touch she had so desperately needed, but this had to be dealt with. She could recognize a sword being clanged against a shield with ease, it was a common enough thing to hear on Sarpedon. It was the sound of a challenge being issued. A sound that meant Medusa's day was about get significantly more _annoying._


	2. Stumbling On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Medusa "deals" with the unwelcome intrusion. However, it is not the only fight she has that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for violence and explicit descriptions of a pretty bad injury in this chapter. once again, i've marked the start and stop with asterisks, as i will try to do for all potentially triggering content in this work <3

Medusa was just moving to exit the mouth of the cave for the second time that day when she was stopped by a questioning sound from Metope. She turned to find a confused expression on the girl’s face; she looked as if she had been totally zoned out and missed the commotion outside. 

“I’ll be back in a moment,” she supplied. “Remember that whole adventurer thing I told you about earlier?”

Metope’s look shifted from confusion to understanding, then to anger.

“Wait, one of them is here right now?”

“Sounds like it. I’ll go deal with it.”

Metope stood, mouth twisted slightly in concern.

“Shouldn’t you be more careful? They could have arrows. Or, I don’t know… a catapult?’

“Umm, I’m mostly sure we would notice them hauling an entire catapult onto the beach. This sounds like just one guy.”

Her companion (friend? Could she call her that yet?) crossed over to her and put a hand on her forearm. Medusa hoped she couldn’t feel the hairs prickling as they stood up from the touch. 

“Please, at least just peek out first. You should be more careful with these things.”

Medusa was not convinced it was necessary, but it couldn’t hurt, so she gave a small sound of acceptance and moved to the door. Metope remained close, not removing her hand from where she was grasping her arm. Peering around the corner, she caught sight of a lone man trudging slowly up the rocky shore. He had pretty standard equipment: a ridiculous flowing cape, way too little armor for a fight, a bronze xiphos, and- oh, actually that could be a problem. On his left arm, Medusa could see a shield, a circle of bronze polished so cleanly it acted as a mirror, reflecting a reverse view of her island in its surface as he approached. Medusa pulled back around the bend.

“Alright, he doesn’t have arrows, but…”

“But?”

“He’s got this shield. Looks reflective. I’ve never tried looking in a mirror before, but I really don’t want to find out what happens when I make eye contact with myself.”

She trailed off, unsure of what to add. 

“So, what you’re saying is ‘thank you Metope, you saved my life with your caution and insightful suggestion’?”

Medusa scoffed, and Metope grinned comically wide.

“Don’t push it. But yeah, I do owe you one. I guess now I just have to figure out how I wanna deal with this.” 

“Well, it shouldn’t be too bad. There’s two of us and one of him.”

She felt a pang of anxiety at the thought of Metope rushing out blindly into battle for her.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, no offense? But you probably shouldn’t fight people you can’t see. I’ve dealt with plenty of guys like this, I can take one more.”

Metope huffed.

“Uh, I do take offense to that actually. I’m not useless, just because I rely on my other senses instead. I’m perfectly capable of holding my own when I need to.”

The nervous feeling changed from fear for Metope’s safety to fear that she had been too blunt and would damage their relationship by being rude. 

“I’m sorry, I just meant I’ve done this a lot, and plus, you’re my guest! It would be rude to ask you to fight for me. Just, stay here, okay? Please?”

She tapped a foot agitatedly as the sounds of the adventurer slowly became louder and closer. Metope paused, seemingly mulling it over.

“Fine. But be  _ careful _ . If you die, I’ll kill you.”

Medusa let out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding.

“Wouldn’t dream of it!”

She had to stop herself before she accidentally added "darling." _Where had that come from?_

With that, she slipped out into the open, spreading her wings and sending her snakes writhing, mouths agape, to get his attention.  _ I swear to the gods, if he starts monologuing- _

“Ho, foul beast! I have come to liberate this island from your cruel tyranny. No longer shall honest warriors fall by your hideous gaze!”

_ Alright, that was just rude. And what's with these adventurers always talking like they just walked out of a historical play? _ Medusa half expected him to start addressing her as “thou” next.

“The gods are on my side, gorgon. With the winged sandals of Hermes and the shield of Athena herself, I will be your undoing!”

Medusa stumbled back, feeling her limbs lock up and go icy cold.  _ What does he mean, Athena? _ She shook her head to banish the uncertainty; this was probably just a trick. Anyone could figure out she used to be a priestess of Athena with a little digging. Neglecting to answer with words, she settled for a well-practiced snarl and lifted into the air on her wings.  Soaring upwards, she felt for an air current that would carry her forwards more quickly. The intruder ascended as well, tiny wings flapping at his feet. They made an irritating buzzing sound as he flew unsteadily to meet her.  _ Alright, he’s not well balanced in the air, that’ll be what I target.  _

Finally finding a sturdy gust of wind moving in the right direction, she leaned forward, letting it push beneath the surface of her wings. Gravity did the rest, as she tipped her balance slightly forwards and began picking up speed. The man raised his shield in front of his chest, covering his eyes and pointing the reflective surface in her direction. Medusa too averted her eyes, watching the ground to avoid the risk of petrifying herself. Something Metope had said creeped into her mind as she sped blindly towards him:  _ I’m not useless, just because I rely on my other senses instead.  _

Medusa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She tried to focus on the buzzing of his wings to guide herself, tilting slightly to make an adjustment to where she thought she would be on target. The noise rapidly grew louder, and she grit her teeth to steady for the impact. She tried her best to adjust so her shoulder would strike the shield and not her head, but it was hard to keep up quick momentum and position herself at the same time. Gritting her teeth, she awaited the impact. 

The blow came with both a good  and  bad turn of events. On the bright side, the angle of the shield allowed her to strike the top and shove into the man without dislocating her shoulder. The less fortunate aspect was the sudden explosion of fiery pain in her side as the tip of the sword dug into her flesh. Both combatants cried out as they were flung spiraling through the air. Medusa was pretty sure she had heard the crunch of bone when the impact was made, but she was distracted by the fact that she was just  _ fucking stabbed with a sword.  _

She could tell even as she tumbled through the sky and tried to regain her balance that the wound was not terribly deep, but she could already feel warm blood pooling around the area. Remembering that she could open her eyes now, she got enough control back to avoid slamming into the rocks beneath. She heard the adventurer’s impact a moment later. Spinning to locate him, she scowled as she saw he had also landed on his feet, though his shield had landed a few feet away and  _ yeah, that arm was definitely broken. _

He glanced towards her, then down to the ground, before dropping the sword and grabbing the shield with his good hand. Medusa walked towards him as fast as she could without overstressing her injury.

“Just give up and leave. I’ve lived here for almost a decade and I haven’t been killed yet. If you turn around and go back to your boat now, you won’t end up like that.” 

She jabbed a thumb towards a stone statue off to the side. 

“You can’t trick me, fiend. Perseus does not surrender. You will perish by my hand!”

_ Well, I tried.  _ Flaring her snakes in annoyance, she picked up the pace. Perseus had managed to get the shield on and was inching towards her. Neither of them seemed keen on rushing each other, as both had sustained wounds in their first bout that left them cautious and slowed. As they got within a distance where swipes were possible, they began circling each other slowly. Both had their gazes firmly directed at the other’s feet. Medusa lashed out with an open hand, talons hitting the shield and scraping painfully down the surface. She assumed they left deep ruts in the metal, but didn’t glance up to check. She struck again, lunging forward to try and tackle Perseus, and stumbled forward as he suddenly was no longer there. Before she could react, she was struck on the shoulder and head by something and was sent sprawling to the ground. She cried out as she struck the rocks below her. Perseus landed next to her and she realized he had flown up when she attacked, before kicking her to send her off balance. 

“Now, face your demise, beast!”

She lifted a hand in time to block the shield that was coming down to bludgeon her, grabbing onto the metal with all her strength. Perseus began pushing forwards, trying to shove the mirror down towards Medusa’s face to force her to look at herself. Her left hand slid up to brace the middle of the shield while her right hand stayed occupied with the base. 

She felt her fangs nearly piercing her lip as she bit down with the effort it was taking to hold off the force. Slowly, she felt the shield beginning to dip lower towards her. Perseus had his weight on his side as Medusa remained prone and unable to rise. For the first time in the fight, fear began to fill her. Her outward desperation increased and she began shoving with renewed vigor. 

* As the shield was nearly pressed against her nose, Medusa heard a sickening  _ crunch,  _ followed by two voices yelling as the pressure on the shield vanished and she pushed it off of herself. Looking up in confusion, she saw Metope holding a large stone that was now coated in blood. Perseus was stumbling back with a large wound on his forehead. Metope looked absolutely consumed by rage. She struck again, hoisting the stone up and throwing it with all her force, letting out a strangled yell as she did so. It struck Perseus in the leg, and Medusa flinched at the sound of his kneecap shattering. Bone pushed through flesh and skin as Perseus howled and collapsed, holding his mangled leg as blood spattered out to coat his hands and the surrounding rocks. 

* Metope was hyperventilating, shoulders heaving with what Medusa could only guess was adrenaline. She was so struck by the sight that she nearly forgot she was in the middle of a fight. Perseus had his eyes on his leg, so she went for his shield while he was distracted. Careful to grab it mirror-down, she threw it like a frisbee into the sea, where it immediately sank out of view. 

“It’s over, Perseus. You lost. Leave now with your life.”

The man looked up with a mixture of rage and terror on his face.

“Never.”

Medusa took note of his glistening blue eyes before they turned to a muted grey. Stone slowly bloomed out and over his skin like algae covering a stagnant pond. A crackling sound filled the air as he was frozen in time, crouched over his leg and staring upwards, mouth still slightly agape. When the transformation finished, silence filled the island once more. 

Medusa stumbled back and sat down, finally able to breathe. She moved the fabric of her dress to look at the severity of where she had been stabbed. Blood had covered the area while they were fighting, obscuring her view of the injury. Using some of the cloth to clean it, she winced as she realized the sword had definitely been twisted when they had struck each other. She bunched up her dress and pressed it against it, breathing out sharply out the pain of the pressure. Beside her, Metope looked like she was coming down off the spike of emotion. She turned to Medusa to speak, still sounding a bit breathless.

“Are you ok? Did he hurt you?”

“His sword got me when I charged him, but that’s all. I should be ok, but it’ll probably leave a pretty nasty scar.”

Metope’s brows creased.

“I wish I could help, but I would probably make things worse. Here, why don’t you lean on me and I can support you on the way back to the cave?” 

Medusa hesitated, glancing back towards the frozen man and blood-covered rocks.

“Alright. While we’re on the topic, are  _ you _ okay? You met me maybe an hour ago and you just helped me murder someone.”

“I helped you fight off someone who came to kill  you  for just being alive. That’s hardly murder, you were just protecting yourself. I wasn’t about to sit by and let the first friend I’ve made in my new life get killed because some asshole thought she deserved it just for existing.”

Despite her pain and uncertainty, Medusa was not ungrateful. Had Metope not come to her assistance, she probably wouldn’t have come out of that fight alive. She also couldn't help but notice (with rising joy and slight embarrassment at being excited over something so small) that Metope had called her a _friend_.

The pair slowly receded back into Medusa’s cave. When they were seated, Medusa went about treating her wound as best she could. She used her claws to tear off strips of cloth to keep pressure on it, before sitting back against the wall to finally  _ relax.  _ Well, to try to relax. Her mind was still buzzing, and after a moment she spoke up.

“You know that was really fucking dangerous, right?”

Metope tilted her head towards her.

“Uh… yeah? Isn’t that generally how fights to the death are? Just by nature?”

“No, I mean charging up like that. He could have still had his sword, you wouldn’t be able to see an attack coming.”

Metope looked insulted.

“Oh, so you’re saying I should have let you die? I  _ told _ you I’m not defenseless just because I’m blind. I saved your life and you’re mad about it?”

_ No, that’s not what I mean at all! Why are words so hard??  _ She stuttered again, trying to voice her concern without sounding ungrateful.

“No, I just mean… ugh, forget it! I just want you to be careful.”

Metope stood up from her seat, and Medusa felt her throat clench with regret. She couldn’t stop herself from lashing out, and not being able to control her fear or anger made her feel even worse. _Can't she see I'm just scared of losing her?_

“I don’t need you telling me what to do. Next time maybe I  _ will _ stay back, and we’ll see how that goes!”

There was a tense pause where neither of them knew what to say. When Metope broke it, her voice was crackly and quiet.

“I need to be alone for a while.”

Medusa’s mind  _ screamed _ at her to follow her, to apologize, to thank her, to do _anything_ , but she couldn’t make herself move. She just watched silently as Metope stepped out of the mouth of the cave and carefully began walking out of view. 

Unsure of what else to do, she returned to dressing her wound as best she could. When she had done as much as she figured was going to helpful, she laid back, sighing deeply as she stared up at the ceiling. She would go find Metope later, if she was even still there. Medusa’s stomach churned as she realized that Metope could just leave if she felt like it.  _ And how could I blame her? After the way I treated her, I’d leave if I were her too.  _ She decided to give her time to make her choice before going to look for her. Wrapping her wings over herself to act as a makeshift blanket, she closed her eyes and tried to let time pass. She hoped that exhaustion might grant her sleep, but writhing guilt denied all chances of that. She couldn't stop herself from hearing the words that adventurer had said over and over again in her head.

"The shield of Athena herself."


End file.
